Bukayo Saka has warned his Arsenal team-mates that they cannot crack under pressure against their arch rivals like Liverpool.
The Reds saw their Premier League title hopes all but ended by Everton on Wednesday night and Saka, who watched in anticipation from his sofa, is out to ensure the Gunners do not suffer the same fate against Tottenham.
When asked what Arsenal can learn from the season-defining midweek fireworks at Goodison Park, the 22-year-old attacker said: “I try not to read too much into those games, but at the same time it shows that you have to be 100 per cent focused on every game.
“Each team, or most of the teams, have something to play for. Each game is like a final for all of us competing for the title, especially Sunday. With it being a north London derby as well, it’s going to be even bigger as a game. I’m just focused on performing.”
Saka, who also referenced Manchester City’s “unbelievable” 4-0 demolition of Brighton, has warned Tottenham they can kick him all day long – he will just keep on getting up. The resilient winger has been left black and blue all season by opposition defenders, adding: “I feel like I’m physically much stronger than I was four or five years ago. For each tackle.
“I have more experience in terms of which ones to go for and which ones to jump, to try to avoid a big tackle. So I’m much smarter as well as physically stronger than I was.”
Arsenal legend Bob Wilson recently urged Premier League officials to crackdown on the issue that has plagued Arsenal’s season – warning Saka faces “being kicked out of the game” for 25 if things do not change.
Still, having spent countless hours in ice baths – which he openly admits he does not like – and the sauna, Saka remains unfazed, stating: “I don’t try and put those negative thoughts in my head because then I’ll start to be more shy in the duels and then it will affect my game. So I don’t really worry.
“There’s two elements. The first is that the defenders can’t do that all game. They will get yellow carded and then they have to stop. The second element is that, as an attacking player, you are in the team to score goals , create goals.
“Part of that is going to involve having to beat defenders and they’re going to try their best to stop you. One way they like to stop you is kicking you. But just because you get a kick, you can’t hide away .
“A lot of the time, if I stay on the floor for too long it breaks the momentum for the team, so I just try and get on with it. The hunger to win keeps me going. That’s why I keep getting up.”
Saka joined Arsenal’s Hale End academy at the age of seven and is under no illusions that this is no ordinary game of football. Yet this time around – there is so much more at stake. This north London derby could make or break the Gunners’ season.
The England star, who has scored 14 Premier League goals and needs just one more to record his best-ever top-flight tally, continued: “I know what it means to myself, to my family and friends, and obviously to our fans, to beat Tottenham.
“On the weekend, it’s about more than beating Tottenham. There’s a Premier League title race that we are in, we know those points are so important to us. We need to focus on getting those three points and try to block everything else out. ”
Long term, he wants to fulfill the challenge set by Mikel Arteta by becoming a player that can play 60 to 70 games every season – just like his idol Cristiano Ronaldo.
Saka explained: “I [Mikel] told me the elite players all do it, so if I want to get to that level I have to be ready to play that many games and try and help my team win each of those games as well.”
Before concluding on Ronaldo: “He was a perfect example of that. He just exploded and turned into a goalscoring machine and I think he inspired a lot of players to try and follow in his footsteps. But at the same time I just want to try and be myself and do what’s required to play and win for Arsenal.”
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